Replica of Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Comes to Raceway

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

A traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall will come to the raceway in Sonoma on Wednesday, Nov. 7.

The raceway will serve as the staging area for the Wall, which will be on display at the Sonoma Valley Veterans Memorial Building, Nov. 8-11, as part of the Cost of Freedom Tribute. The traveling replica is an 80-percent scale model of the original in Washington D.C.

This one-of-a-kind indoor tribute honors those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in defense of their country. The tribute pays respect to veterans, active duty military, police officers, firefighters and all others whose daily job is to put themselves in harm’s way to protect our way of life.

The traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall features more than 58,000 names of those killed in combat during the Vietnam War. The Gold Tag Wall, which will also be on display in Sonoma, features gold tags with the names of those killed in combat post 9/11, including Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

The staging area at the raceway will also feature humvees from the Army National Guard, fire trucks from Kenwood, Schellville and Sonoma and up to 200 motorcycle riders. The riders are from clubs such as the Military Escort Team, Blue Knights, Patriot Guard and Warriors Watch.

These elements will all be staged at the raceway on Nov. 7 before leaving the track at 3 p.m. for an escorted ride into Sonoma, where they will be on display to the public at the Sonoma Valley Veterans Memorial Building. The display, which is free of charge, opens on Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. and will be open 24 hours until closing on Nov. 11 (Veteran’s Day) in the evening.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Bear Flag Post 1943, out of Sonoma, is responsible for bringing this spectacular display to Sonoma. The group raised nearly $50,000 to secure the Cost of Freedom Tribute. The public is encouraged to line the streets of Sonoma on Nov. 8 and give the tribute a warm welcome as it makes its way to the Sonoma Valley Veterans Memorial Building.

Featured Event

The Toyota/Save Mart 350 roars into Sonoma June 22-24, and it’s guaranteed to be a wild ride. It’s the biggest rush to hit wine country, and you won’t want to miss a second of the action on and off track. Be sure to get your tickets as NASCAR tackles its first road course of the season.